Timepiece with hand-driving extension



G. W. TONEY TIMEPIECE WITH HAND DRIVING EXTENSION April 26, 1927. J1,626,170.

Filed Jan. 5; 1921 Geoi ge w Tangy W M Q Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. TONEY, 0F WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO OLD COLONY TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, A OORPORATION OF MASSA-CHUSETTS.

TIMEPIEGE WITH HAND-DRIVIN G EXTENSION.

Application filed January 3, 1921. Serial No. 434,748.

5 tain a time piece, in a manner such that the hands of the time pieceare exposed to view within the circumference of the dial or face platewith which the instrument is provided. Speedometer odometer instrumentshave been produced in combination with clock movements for showing bymeans of a single combined instrument the current time as well as thespeed of the vehicle to which the instrument is applied and the distancetraveled by the vehicle; but such COITll'JlllGCl instruments areespecially designed as to the size and shape of their cases to provideinterior space for the accommodation of the time piece movement. Otherspeedometerodometer instruments have been put out in large numberswithout a clock attachment, and in instruments of that type themechanism and case, designed primarily for compactness and theconvenient exhibition of the speed and distance indications, has not anylarge enough clear space in its interior for accommodating a clockmovement. The ordinary instrument of this type, how ever, has enoughspace upon its dial or face 0 for mounting or exhibiting a clock dialand to permit rotation of time indicating hands thereover.

Commonly such instruments exhibit the speed indications in the upperpart of the dial and show distance indications, respectively of thetotal distance traveled and of the distance of single trips, inposit-ions side by side slightly below the horizontal diameter of thedial. Space enough is available between such distance indications andthe lower part of the case for exhibition of a clock dial and hands. Itis with this type of instrumentthat the particular aspect of myinvention above stated is concerned;..and that phase of the inventionconsists in the provision of means for mounting a time piece outside ofthe casing of the speedometer instrument and means for driving the handsin a visible location over the dial thereof from the time piece 50mounted. V

-The foregoing statement, however, is not to be; con ru d as: definingthe limi swithin wh h I desir ro e tion; fer th pr m .cip e embqdied inthe driving.

means for the hands of a time piece is applicable to other combinationsfor other specific uses and I claim protection for the same in thebroadest scope permitted by the prior art, as well as for the specificcombination above referred to.

For a full understanding of the nature of the invention and of itsapplication to its preferred special use, I have shown in the drawingsaccompanying this specification and will presently describe in detail, aspeedometer-odometer instrument having a clock movement mounted uponthe, back of its case and having hands visible in front of its dialwhich are driven through extended driving members.

In said drawings, of an instrument equipped with this inventionrepresented as though placed in an upright position with its face in avertical plane. Figure 2 represents the instrument as seen from beneaththe position repre sented in Figure 1, and shows the case being partlybroken away to reveal the handdriving means of the time piece. Figure 3is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of the extensionhand driving means in complete detail. Figure at is a fragmentarysectional View showing; these ends of the extension sleeves which. inuse, are connected to the movement of the time piece. Figure 5 shows across section taken on line 5 5 of Figure 3 viewed in the direction ofthe arrows on that figure.

Like reference characters designate the same parts in all the figures.

The instrument here shown has a cylindrical case 1. the dimensions ofwhich are such as to contain conveniently the speed indicator, thedistance counters, and the mechanisms which operate them, such indi-Figure 1 is a face view cator and counters being arranged in amancounters 8 showingthe distance traveled in single trips are seenthrough they openingo. The d al. i cov by crys 9 m unt d up n; the as bya; heel 10.-

This illustration shows a common type of instrument and is given toillustrate the nature and principles of the invention, but withoutintent to indicate limitation of the invention to any specific style ormake of speedometer instrument. he facts particularly intended to beshown here are that enough clear space exists on the dial between thedistance indicators and the lower limb of the bezel to accommodatevisibly a clock dial and hands, but that the size and shape of the casedo not provide large enough interior space to contain a clock movement.

The time dial is shown in Figure l at 11 and the hands at l2 and 13, 12being the minute hand and 13 the hour hand. Said time dial may be made,or constructed or applied in any desired way on the dial proper of theinstrument, whether printed, drawn or engraved directly on said dial, ormade as a separate piece applied thereto, or otherwise.

The clock movement is contained in its own case M which is mounted onthe back of the speedometer case in the position which brings the centerstaff of the clock movement in line with the center of the time dial 11.This placement of the clock case may bring its circumference outside ofthe circumference of the speedometer case, and it is so shown in Figure1; but that is no detriment to the combined instrument because in theusual mode of mounting said instruments they are set and fitted inapertures in the dashboards or instrument boards of automobiles, whereonly their faces are visible, wherefore the projecting part of the clockcase is concealed by the instrumentboard.

It is to be understood, also, that the'particular placement of the timedial and clock movement here shown is not obligatory, but that the timedial may be placed in any other part of any specific style ofspeedometer dial where there is room for it and where also the mechanismof the speedometer instrument leaves an open way for the extension of adriving shaft from the clock movement at the rear to the hands arrangedover the time dial.

The clock case may be secured to the speedometer case in any suitableway by any .suitable means, either permanently or detachably In thepresent showing the clock case is made one piece with a back plate 15secured detachably to the rear of the speedometer-odometer case andprovided with lugs 16 by which the entire combined instrument may besecured upon the dash or other instrumentboard of an automobile. Adetachable rear cover 17 closes the clock case and gives access to themovement contained therein.

The clock movement may be of any standard type or other design; all thatis material to the present disclosure being that it has a cannon pinion17 or equivalent means for delive ing motion from its center stall tothe minute hand, with provision for shifting of such hand in setting,and a gear train ending in an hour wheel 18 for delivering motion to thehour hand. An extension sleeve or tubular shaft 19 surrounds at its rearend the hub 20 of the hour wheel and extends toward the dial 2, carryingat its forward end a bushing 21 which rotates in the dial and has areduced extension 22 for mounting the hour hand.

An inner extension sleeve 01 tubular shaft 23 is applied at its rear endto the extend-ed hub of the cannon pinion, and at its forward end it isconnected to a stall which has a bearing in the reduced end 22- of thebushing :21, extends beyond the same, and is reduced in diameter at itsforward end 26 to receive and hold the minute hand. The bushing 21 andstaff are preferably formed with shoulders 27 and 2S, respectively, tolimit their penetration into the extension sleeves, and are securedfirmly to said sleeves in order to make driving units therewith,preferably by solder, or they may be so secured by friction, or in anyother convenient way.

Detachable driving engagement between the sleeve 19 and the hour wheelis effected by forming a'transverse notch 29 in the hub of said wheeland a complemental inden tation or offset 30 in the wall of the tube.The end of the sleeve split or slotted as shown at 31 in Figure 14-, sothat may be sprung over the hub and cause the offset 30 to snap into thenotch 29 when brought into registration therewith. Preferably thisoffset is located ata distance from me end of the sleeve equal to thedistance of the notch from the face of the hour wheel. whereby the endof the sleeve then abuts againstthe hour wheel. Preferably, also, thecomplemental notch and offset extend in a direction transverse to theaxis of the sleeve and are run in straight lines, or at least, in linesotherwise than concentric with such axis, whereby their engagingsurfaces cross the path or paths in which such surfaces rotate; Thus thenotch and indentation are at the same time means for resistingwithdrawal of the sleeve from the hour wheel and means for transmittingrotation from the latter to the former. Other forms of means for thesame purpose may be provided, but the particular one here shownpreferred. on account of its simplicity and efficiency. The notch andoffset are here shown as being V-shaped, but that specific form may bemodified.

A similar means for effecting connection and driving engagement betweenthe inner or minute hand sleeve and the cannon pinion are provided,consisting of a notch 32 in ill) lurk

the side of the cannon pinion hub and an offset in the contiguous partof the sleeve, said sleeve being slotted at its rear end, indicated atBet in Figure at.

I i hen removal of the clock movement from the speedometer is requiredfor repairs upon either the clock or the speedometer, these extensionsleeves may be readily disconnected from the clock movement, and aseasily replaced after the repairs have been nade; and when assembled inthe relation shown the interlock of the sleeves affords ample resistanceto their independent rotation relatively to the hour wheel and can nonpinion, respectively, to drive the hands in exact synchronism with theclock movement.

In the foregoing description the reference to positions of the partsshown, as being respectively above or below, or in front or in rear ofone another, or of some reference point, is not intended to imply anylimitation of my protection but is made simply for convenience ofdescription, having regard to the illustration of the invention in thesedrawings.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a time piece, the combination, with a hand driving member and anindicating hand, of an extension vshaft which is constructed at one endto embrace part of said driving member and at the other end to mountsaid hand, that part of the shaft which embraces said member and thepart of the member embrace-d thereby, having intel-engaging offsetportions formed and disposed to afford a driving clutch and to op poseyielding resistance to withdrawal of the shaft from the driving member.

2. In a time piece, a rotatable hand driving member having a hub andsaid hub being formed with a. notch in its outer side extending in adirection transverse to its axis and in a line which cuts the path ofrotation of said hub, an extension shaft having a hollow and split endformed and adapted to fit upon said hub and said split end having anoffset portion complemental to said notch arranged to enter the latterand to be held therein by the elasticity and resilience of the splitportion of the shaft, said shaft having provisions at a part thereofdistant from said driving member for mounting an indicating hand, and ahand mounted thereon.

3. The combination of an indicator instrument having a dial and anenclosing case, a clock mounted outside of said case and havverse notchin the side of its hub, intersecting the path of rotation thereof, aninner extension shaft fitting at one end detachably over said cannonpinion and having in its side an offset indentation engaging in saidnotch and resiliently held therein, a tubular outer extension shaftsurrounding said inner shaft, fitting detachably over said hour wheelhub, and having in its side an offset indentation engaging andresiliently held in the notch in said hub, said extension shafts bothextending through the aforesaid case and dial, and time indicating handsmounted on said shafts over the face of said dial.

l. The combination of an indicator instrument With time indicating handsat the front, and a clock movement mounted at the rear thereof; a handdriving element constituting a part of said movement and having a hub,and an extension shaft carrying one of the hands and coupled to saidhub, the hub and shaft being fitted one within the other and one of themhaving a protuberance and the other a depression receiving saidprotuberance, the sides of said protuberance and depression being inengagement on lines transverse to both the length and the path ofrotation of the shaft, thereby resisting independent movement of eitherrelatively to the other, the shaft being split at the end which engagesthe hub, whereby to permit yieldingly resisted displacement andreplacement. I

The combination of an indicator instrument having a dial, with timeindicating hands rotatable over said dial, and a clock movement at therear of the instrument, an hour Wheel forming a part of the clockmovement, an extension sleeve detachably fitted to said hour wheel forrotational driving thereby and extending thence through said dial, thehour indicating hand being mounted upon the end of said sleeve and aminute hand driving member arranged coaxially Within said hour wheel, anextension shaft fitted detachably upon said member for transmittingrotation therefrom and extending thence through saidsleeve and carryingthe minute indicating hand, said sleeve having a bearing adjacent tothat end thereof which is more remote from the clock movement, and thesaid shaft being rotatably GEORGE W. T'ONEY.

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